Indiana HS swimming coach files suit, citing gender discrimination

A high school boys and girls swimming coach in Indiana is filing a civil suit after she claims the school where she works tried to get her to defer to male middle school coaches and accuses her of having a bad attitude.

As reported to the Goshen News, Julie Robinson, the head swimming coach for both the Wawasee (Ind.) High School boys and girls teams, has filed a formal suit alleging that the coach has been treated unfairly by the school’s administration. More specifically, she claims the school’s athletic director and the two aforementioned wrestlers are trying to undermine her to force her out of her position.

“I believe that (athletic director Cory) Schutz and the two male middle school coaches are paving a way for my termination by creating a false perception of my demeanor and damaging my reputation,” Robinson wrote in an EEOC complaint. “I am being treated differently than male coaches in the athletic department by being asked to defer to middle school coaches.”

While Robinson’s EEOC complaint was rejected, that paved the way for the new civil suit, which was filed on Dec. 28. Meanwhile, there have been no dates set for future hearings in the case.

For her part, Robinsons frustration is down as much to simple disrespect as anything else.

“I am being treated differently than male coaches in the athletic department by being asked to defer to middle school coaches.”